


What Matters

by Fyre



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-30
Updated: 2012-09-30
Packaged: 2017-11-15 08:51:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/525474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fyre/pseuds/Fyre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the curse breaks, Belle is revealed to the world.</p><p>WARNING - Some SPOILERS for clips that have been released for Broken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Matters

Belle adjusted the belt of her dress, smoothing the skirts down. Rumpelstiltskin had provided them for her, and left her to change while he made her a cup of tea. She could hear voices through the curtain and paused at the sound of a woman speaking.

“What was the purple haze that you brought?”

Rumpelstiltskin replied, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “You know - magic

“Why?” Another woman, this one quieter.

 

“Not telling.” Rumpelstiltskin again. It seemed he had lost none of his capability to drive people up the wall, and she pushed through the curtain before someone else could take him personally. His magic wasn’t stable yet, and he wasn’t the strongest of mortal men.

“What’s going on?” she asked, emerging into the shop. Three strangers looked at her, and she offered a tentative smile, approaching Rumpelstiltskin at the counter. “Hello.”

The woman closes to the counter, a blonde, looked at her suspiciously. “Who’s this?”

Belle couldn’t help notice the way that Rumpelstiltskin moved a little closer to her. She certainly couldn’t ignore the way that his palm pressed to the small of her back. After so many years in the cold, lonely psyche ward, his touch was so warm, so affectionate, that she almost trembled.

“This is Belle,” he replied, looking at her.

Belle met his eyes and smiled. “And they are?”

“Unimportant,” he replied. “I was going to bring your tea.”

She gave him a stern look. “Tea can wait,” she said. “We have company.” She turned her attention to the blonde and held out her hand. “Hello. I’m Belle. And you are…?”

“Emma,” the woman replied, looking at her like she had just performed some strange magic trick. She reached over, clasped her hand and shook it. “I haven’t seen you in town.”

“You wouldn’t have,” Belle replied with a brief, not-quite-solid smile. “Regina is good at hiding things.” She looked at the other two who, despite their clothing, had Royalty written all over them. “Oh! You must be Snow White and the Prince.” She looked at Rumpelstiltskin who inclined his head with a small, approving smile. He always did like it when she was clever enough to put information together. She returned her attention to them. “It’s very nice to meet you both.”

They all stared at her and she looked down at the teacups awkwardly, avoiding their eyes. “Which one is mine?”

“The one on the right, dearie,” Rumpelstiltskin replied, his hand moving in a soothing circle on her back.

“Okay,” Emma finally burst out. “Who the hell is she? What’s going on?” She turned to the pair behind her. “Did you know about her?”

“I did.” The man, the Prince, spoke.

Belle looked up at him. He was looking right back at her, and looked as if he had just realised something. “Y-you did?”

His eyes flicked from her to Rumpelstiltskin. “A brief flicker of light, huh?”

Rumpelstiltskin’s hand froze. “Indeed,” he said, a warning note in his voice.

“You said she died,” the Prince murmured.

“I was… deceived.” Rumpelstiltskin’s voice was tight, taut with fury, and Belle remembered that fury from the forest, the desire for vengeance. It was the same vengeance that had driven Regina, that had brought them all here, and she couldn’t let him go down that road.

She slipped her arm around his waist, drawing him closer to her side, and he looked at her, startled. “I’m here now,” she said quietly. “That’s what matters.”

 

It was if the other people had faded away and he smiled at her, small, uncertain, fragile. He was still afraid that she would leave him behind. “That’s what matters,” he agreed.


End file.
